Today’s episode is about something we all wish we had more of: time. There are so many demands on teachers and it always feels like there’s not enough time in the day. I found there are some ways to maximize your schedule and I will be sharing some tips and tricks I’ve found helpful. I hope these action steps will allow you to really focus on what is important, your students! By the end of this episode, there will be three different areas for you to look at that will free up your schedule. Befor...
Oct 04, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 51
To continue the celebration of reaching 50 episodes of The Literacy Dive, I've got a BONUS episode for you today! This is a replay of a listener favorite, episode 2! It's all the importance and power of a mini-lesson. Enjoy! SHOW NOTES: theliteracydive.com/podcast-episode2 In this episode I share: -The definition of a mini-lesson -How to find content for your mini-lesson -The structure of a mini-lesson (5 parts) -Tips and reminders to make mini-lessons successful Connect with me: - Check out my ...
Sep 29, 2021•21 min
Oh my goodness! This is the 50th episode of The Literacy Dive Podcast! I am so thankful and have been having a blast with all of you. To celebrate this milestone we will be doing something spontaneous and laid-back. I hope you enjoy this question and answer format just as much as I enjoyed recording it! I originally thought I would answer 50 questions for the 50th episode, but my dear friend has narrowed down the questions so that we can play a little game of 20 questions. You’ll learn about me ...
Sep 27, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Have you been searching for ways to assess your student’s understanding of your lessons? An easy way to do this is by using exit tickets. Contrary to what some people may think, exit tickets are not tests, but definitely are a way to measure your student’s comprehension of that day’s topic. Exit tickets may look different each day, but if used correctly they can be a driving force for your curriculum. Exit tickets can support data-driven instruction by providing information on where students are...
Sep 20, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 49
If you don’t already know this, it may shock you, but my favorite subject is actually math. Crazy, right? There’s nothing better than when I can combine my two favorite things, math and literacy, at the same time with math word problems. In this episode I will provide you with strategies for incorporating comprehension and writing practice while also working on math. When I was a self-contained teacher responsible for every subject, it was so important to “double dip” different subject areas. Du...
Sep 13, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Today’s episode is about a topic that has taken over the world of education and is probably the focus of most of your staff meetings. If you guessed this episode would be about higher order thinking then you’d be correct! Lucky for you, the strategies I will talk about today are ones that you can put into practice as soon as tomorrow! Some of my suggestions may be exactly what you try not to do during your reading block, and believe me I’ve been there. If you’re a teacher who dismisses student q...
Sep 06, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 47
As promised, this episode is a continuation of the conversation on ways to increase motivation and writing skills with your students. Let’s be honest, we all have at least one student who desperately avoids any writing task. It’s those exact students I always think of when I introduce new strategies because we’ve got the opportunity to show them that writing can be fun! If you listened last week, you’ve already learned five ways to get students excited about writing. Well today you’re going to l...
Aug 30, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 46
What if your students actually looked forward to writing time? What if they all cheered instead of moaning and groaning when you announce it’s time for writing? I’ll bet that sounds like music to your teacher ears! I continue to hear from many of you that getting your students excited to write is still one of your greatest challenges. That’s why today I’m going to share ways to improve student writing skills AND improve their motivation to write. Writing doesn’t have to be bland. It doesn’t have...
Aug 23, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 45
I am a huge proponent of reading aloud for pure joy with no strings attached. These moments are one of the best ways to foster a true love of reading within your students. However, I also know the immense power of interactive read alouds and the great effect in has on our young readers. For example, did you know that interactive read alouds can build community as well as vocabulary and communication skills? They are also an excellent opportunity to bring diversity into your classroom. So what’s ...
Aug 16, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Do your students look back at you with blank stares when you ask them to “show, don’t tell” in their writing? If so, it’s for a good reason! While it seems simple to some, show don’t tell is a difficult concept to understand. The real way to ensure students fully grasp this strategy is through a lot of intentional practice and exposure. This is why I recommend teaching show don’t tell at the very beginning of the year, and spiraling back all throughout the year. So, exactly how do you get your s...
Aug 09, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Whether you are a first-year or veteran teacher, you know how incredibly important it is to build community at the beginning of the school year. You also know how stressful this time of year can be. Exciting? Yes. But still stressful! You have so much to do, yet you also want to focus on making your students feel welcome and valued. This is the prime time to really set the tone for the upcoming year! Between organizing school supplies and establishing rules and routines, there is no time for act...
Aug 02, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 42
True story - small groups are 100% my teaching love language! So when Emily asked, “What are some of your favorite small group must-haves?” I jumped at the opportunity to share. While I can’t list EVERYTHING, I’m going to list my 15 most-loved small group staples. I bet you won’t be surprised to hear that sticky notes are on this list, but what about a laser pointer?! These items can all be found on Amazon or at your local Target/Dollar Tree. As with any supply list, don’t let this overwhelm you...
Jul 26, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 41
I have trouble with getting my students to sit for extended periods of time and accomplishing their goals. How do you help students increase their stamina when it comes to independent reading and writing? This question comes from Craig and I’ll bet many of you have the same one! Here’s one thing I know for sure. Stamina takes time! So, give yourself and your students some grace. Tune in to hear my favorite strategies that I have used with students in second through fifth grade. Whether you imple...
Jul 19, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Today we have a question from Shelby! Shelby asks, “How do you help kids who just want to finish writing as fast as they can and do not want to add any details because of the time it takes?” Just like Shelby, we all have those students in our writing block who say “I’m done” before most kids even have their name on the paper! Few things are more frustrating than watching students who rush to get done without implementing the skills that you have worked so hard to teach! I’m sharing 10 strategies...
Jul 12, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Picture this: you are in the middle of a well prepared mini-lesson and it’s going great. When the time comes to start a written response, all of your students get started right away working on the exact same assignment and moving at the exact same pace. Hah! That would be nice, right? The reality is, it’s far more likely that you will have students at all different levels. The solution to this challenge is to differentiate your instruction. But how? This week’s question comes from Karina! Karina...
Jul 05, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 38
This episode is extra special because our guest is actually a long time friend of mine! Once upon a time, Sara and I even had classrooms right next door to each other. Tune in to hear how Sara and I first met and became teacher besties! Sara is on the show to talk all about how you can create a classroom community who genuinely loves reading. This episode will give you the inspiration you need as you intentionally plan for the upcoming school year. Standards and assessments are important, and pa...
Jun 28, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Teaching writing is tricky to say the least. It can feel very chaotic when our students are each in various places in their writing and all have different needs. On any given day, you may have students who are pages in while others are struggling to write their first sentence. If you are finding it difficult to teach writing, and be excited about it, you are most definitely not alone! My guest today, Jamie Sears, is here to help take the chaos out of writing workshop so that you can feel in cont...
Jun 21, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Teachers, do you ever feel like there’s just not enough time to cover everything that your students are meant to learn throughout the year? Perhaps every time you look at your pacing guide, you think about how unrealistic it appears! I hear you. For quite some time this was me. While teaching, I constantly felt like I was running out of time to teach the required content and do it well. If you have the same concern, this episode is for you. Today we’re diving into the question of “how do you fin...
Jun 14, 2021•11 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Our question today comes from Tina L. Her question is, "My fourth graders have a hard time finishing the book by the end of our session together. What is one thing I can try to help with this?" Oh, how I love this question! This may surprise some of you but I recommend that you do not have your students finish their guided reading book in one sitting (or in some cases, ever at all). Tune in to find out why! While there are some books that you’ll want to finish to support a specific reading strat...
Jun 07, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Welcome to the second episode in our summer Q&A series! This week we have a question from Marsha T. She asked - Can you give some insight into what free choice Friday entails? Ya’ll. Free Choice Friday is seriously my jam, so I am thrilled to answer this question today! There’s a reason we say T.G.I.F. By the end of the week, you are ready for a much needed break. You’re thinking about closing out the current week while also planning for the next. Friday is about slowing down and catching yo...
May 31, 2021•12 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Let’s talk writing centers. Do you use them? If so, do you find them to be effective? Writing centers are such a powerful way to provide students with authentic and engaging writing experiences while also practicing important skills. Better yet, when set up intentionally, your writing center can run on autopilot with very little maintenance! Today I’m answering all of your questions regarding writing centers such as, how do you set them up? How do you keep kids engaged? How do you keep it from l...
May 24, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 32
For students who are acquiring the English language, writing can be an extremely difficult and intimidating task. Today we’re talking all about how to bring down the fear of failure in ELL students. Our guest, Beth Vaucher, is an expert in this topic. She is sharing so many amazing tips that will help you provide the very best writing instruction not only for your ELLs, but for your whole class. We’ll discuss using tools such as sentence starters, picture prompts, word banks, collaborative journ...
May 17, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Teachers, you’ve almost made it. The end of the year is so close! In all the excitement of summer break, there’s one thing that may cause some lingering concern. Summer slide. You and your students have worked so hard all year long and you know how important it is for them to continue practicing their skills over the summer. Doing so will set them up for success in the upcoming school year. There are many thing you can do to ensure that parents are joining in and helping their child achieve thei...
May 10, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Lesson planning, parent conferences, endless meetings, and working way beyond contract hours. The job of a teacher is truly never-ending. Feeling underappreciated on top of all of this can really negatively affect your mental state. I’m here to help you find ways to stay motivated, even when feeling a major lack of appreciation. Rather than relying on others for validation of your hard work, it’s time to take control of your own joy! So, happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all of you incredible t...
May 03, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 29
It’s that time of year again. Test season. Although it seems crazy to continue with testing despite the inconsistent year everyone has had, the show must go on right? This time of year is an important opportunity to fill in the gaps and squeeze in some extra practice. Let’s take a look at how we can best prepare your students while having a little fun too! My number one piece of advice is to avoid overusing traditional test prep, which involves individually reading long passages and answering ma...
Apr 26, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 28
How many times have you had a student begin a story with “one day” and close with “the end”? Probably more than you can count! Today is the day to finally put an end to the overused leads and conclusions. This episode is all about exposing your students to better leads and conclusions so they can begin incorporating them into their own writing. If you take some time to make leads and endings the focus of your lessons, you will be surprised at how quickly your students' overall writing skills wil...
Apr 19, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 27
We have an incredibly fun guest on the show today! It’s Shane Saeed and you may know her over on Instagram as Fantastically Fourth. Shane and I are chatting about all things inferring. Making inferences is something that we do all day long without even realizing it. When it comes to reading comprehension, inferring is one of those very tricky concepts for kids. Luckily, Shane is giving us all sorts of strategies to take back to the classroom. These are simple ways that you can help your students...
Apr 12, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 26
April is National Poetry Month and I am here for it! Poetry is something that is not typically embedded in the curriculum all year long, yet exploring poetry with your class provides numerous learning opportunities. It opens the door to new reading and writing experiences that your students may have not tried out before. The more exposure that you and your students have to poetry, the better. If you feel like teaching poetry is scary, it doesn’t have to be! As you may be able to tell, I love poe...
Apr 05, 2021•14 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Today we’re taking a deep dive into one of my favorite reading comprehension strategies…visualization. It seems so simple, yet it’s one that kids tend to really get stuck on! I believe that learning the skill of visualization can also help strengthen other challenging reading comprehension strategies such as inferring, predicting, and summarizing. Essentially, visualizing is creating pictures in our head based on the text that we read or the words that we hear. However, it’s not just about seein...
Mar 29, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 24
When you think of literacy stations, what do you envision? It's likely that you picture a kindergarten, first, or second grade classroom. However, it's so impactful to use centers for your big kids too! I learned this after making the jump from teaching kindergarten to fourth grade. By the end of this episode, I know that you'll be able to see the value in working centers into your daily routine for third-fifth grade. Not only do centers give you time to work in small groups or one-on-one with s...
Mar 22, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 23
